Bernard Chong caught the attention of esports enthusiasts when he was put on the wanted list of authorities in the Philippines. He was accused of being involved in the importation of illegal drugs into the country.

The case was based on a shipment of methamphetamine found at the Manila International Container Port. The shipping documents linked Chong to Fortuneyield, a company that was reportedly the recipient of the shipment containing the drugs.

An arrest warrant for Bernard Chong was issued in June 2021, and was subsequently sought by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). However, today's court decision confirmed that the BREN Esports CEO is innocent.

In the court decision reported by Esports Insider, it was stated that there was insufficient grounds to charge Chong and no further legal action would be taken against him. This reverses the initial decision of the Manila Regional Trial Court.

Bernard Chong did act as the CEO of Fortuneyield, but he left the company in 2019. The drugs he is accused of being found in a shipping container at the Manila port occurred in 2021.

In court decision documents, it was revealed that another company called Wealth Lotus was the recipient of the shipment. This fact also eliminates Fortuneyield's name as a party involved in this case.

The document also said that Fortuneyield's involvement was part of an 'alleged attempt to confuse the authorities'. Thus, the company was not directly involved in the drug smuggling.

Bernard Chong exercised his right of certiorari, or the right to take the matter to a higher court. The BREN Esports CEO argued that the Manila court that initially handled the case had abused its authority and did not have the jurisdiction to charge him in the first place.

The Court of Appeal was then appointed to handle the case, and the charges were subsequently dropped in May 2023. Thus, Bernard Chong was officially declared not involved in any drug smuggling case.

Bernard Chong himself is an esports enthusiast who founded BREN Esports in 2017. The Philippine team made history by winning the M2 World Championship title in 2020.

With Bernard Chong's name cleared, the CEO of BREN Esports can return to concentrating on developing his team, after it had declined since he was linked to this case.

What do you think about this case, guys? Put your comments below!